Chapter 1: Preparing for the Saiyans
Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ
A/N: Here's the next chapter. Enjoy :)
Gohan fell into the little pond with a loud splash. He hurriedly stood, spitting water out of his mouth. "Ow! It went up my nose!" he whined, face scrunched up in pain.
Piccolo descended, landing at the edge of the pond. This area was filled with large plateaus and steep mountains. The pond was at the foot of a plateau. It had a sheer face of grey stone and it shaded Gohan from the sun. Gohan looked angrily at his captor, "What'd you do that for, you meany!"
"I'm more than just mean, kid," Piccolo said menacingly. "Especially to little brats that annoy me."
Gohan glared, uncowed. "You don't scare me! My dad could beat you any day!" he said emphatically.
Piccolo smirked, "Your dad isn't here."
Gohan flinched, lowering his head, "I know that."
Just thinking of it made him sad… and angry. Angry at himself for not staying angry. He had gotten a good blow on Raditz, injured him.
He clenched his fist.
Just a few more seconds and he could have finished the fight. But, when he realized his father was okay, his anger faded. Along with it, the power.
The water he stood in began to boil.
Gohan had felt so weak afterward. He could barely stand. And then his dad made a plan with Piccolo. He restrained Raditz and took Piccolo's attack through his chest, then died.
Angry red energy surrounded him. The water began evaporating violently.
His gaze landed on Piccolo through roiling wisps of steam. It was him. He did it. He blinked away tears. "It was you!" he shouted. "You killed my daddy!" He was furious.
Piccolo did not shrink from Gohan's rage. In fact, he seemed pleased. He smirked once again, "Is that what you think?"
"Yes!" Gohan growled, almost ready to kill.
"The way I see it, it was you that killed him."
Gohan was brought up short, "What?! No way! I would never do that! I saw you kill him!"
"I may have given the final blow… but it was your fault."
Gohan shook, his energy deserting him once more. "What?" he quailed uncertainly. He was once again the child that had just lost his father. The child that was far away from his mother.
Piccolo's countenance became cold. "If you had finished Raditz when you had the chance," he swiped a sharp-nailed hand to the side, "Goku would still live."
Gohan blanched, "No. I- I tried! I did everything I could!"
"Really?" he snorted, "One hit then you give up, because what? You were tired? Pathetic."
Gohan clutched at his shirt, "I… I couldn't move. I didn't have any more energy!"
It wasn't his fault! He did his best! How could anyone expect more from him? No one even expected what he did manage. But... wasn't he saying the same thing before? If only he had stayed angry, everything would be alright. But he didn't. He saw his father was okay and gave up. He thought he didn't have to try anymore, so he gave up. His father died, and it was his fault.
He fell to his knees, not caring about his clothes getting wet again. Tears dripped from his cheeks, mixing in with the hot water. He whimpered quietly, biting his lip to prevent a sob.
Piccolo sighed heavily, "Get up, kid. Your father will be back."
Gohan looked up hesitantly, rubbing tears away, "He will?"
"In one year, Goku's little fan club will use the dragonballs to wish him back to life. However, he won't be the only one coming to Earth in a year. Two more Saiyans are on their way here, and they won't stop until they've killed us all." Gohan stared in shock. "These Saiyans will be even more powerful than Raditz. That's why we're going to train."
"Us? Me and you? Why would you want to train me? I'm just a kid," Gohan asked uncertainly.
Piccolo growled, "Don't you remember what you did to Raditz! You have incredible power within you. I'm going to teach you to harness it. Master it. Then, we will defeat the Saiyans; with or without Goku! Do you understand?!"
Gohan stood, posture uncertain, but with fire in his eyes, "Yes, sir!"
Piccolo decided to give the kid a chance to rest, so training would start tomorrow. He floated to the top of the plateau, planning to meditate until the next morning, leaving Gohan to his own devices.
"I've never been anywhere like here before," Gohan thought, marveling at the unique landscape. The ground was covered in soft grass, and the monuments of rock interrupted the horizon frequently. A glance upward showed that grass grew even atop the towering structures, "Cool!"
He began to explore, familiarizing himself with his environment. There were trees here and there, dotting the ground between the big rocks. Further investigation revealed fruit. "Jackpot!" he exclaimed, taking off his yellow overshirt and turning it into a makeshift bag to carry them.
He spent a few hours gathering anything edible he recognized from camping trips with his father. He steadfastly ignored the ache he felt when he thought of the man. As the sun began to sink, he looked for a nice cave to sleep in; accidentally knocking out the bear that had inhabited it previously when it surprised him.
Within the cave, a fire provided light and kept him warm as he gorged on the fruits of his labor. With a full stomach, he fell asleep, dreaming of days where imminent destruction wasn't a concern.
The next morning, Gohan's training began in earnest. Piccolo, to his great surprise, found that the kid had already had some training. "Only Goku would start training his own child before the age of four."
Gohan already knew how to throw effective punches and kicks. His power didn't come anywhere near Piccolo's but he wasn't totally useless. Gohan took to the training enthusiastically, getting back up every time he was knocked down. Piccolo even developed a slightly less disdainful view of him.
Gohan leaped at Piccolo, intent on smashing his face in. Piccolo swayed to the side, sending an elbow to his back. Gohan fell to the ground with a grunt of pain, but quickly righted himself. He threw himself at Piccolo again, a flurry of attacks that the green man avoided easily. Piccolo made a point of punishing sloppy attacks with particularly painful counters. Gohan was a quick learner, always adapting his fighting style to be more effective.
When they weren't sparring, Piccolo was teaching him to control ki and how to sense it. Gohan already knew how to use ki, but only in an unrefined way; simple ki blasts and using it to strengthen physical attacks. Piccolo taught him to fight with closed eyes and how to concentrate ki for more powerful attacks.
When Gohan's clothes became tattered, Piccolo created a gi for him, styled after Goku's but with the symbol for 'Demon' on the back. Gohan wore it with pride.
"Alright, kid, spar's over," Piccolo announced.
Gohan groaned in disappointment, "Come on, Mr. Piccolo! I can keep going!" He was covered in bruises and had a black eye. Not all of them were from this sparring session, either. Gohan didn't have time to heal completely between sessions.
Piccolo smirked, "You've got drive, kid, but you won't be useful if you're too tired to train tomorrow."
Gohan frowned, "I guess you're right."
"Of course I am."
Gohan lay back, using a log as a pillow. Piccolo hovered in the air with crossed legs. He watched as Gohan's breathing slowed and his eyes closed. Eventually, Piccolo's eyes closed as well, as he fell into a deep state of meditation.
"Now, just push your ki beneath you. It should hold you up," Piccolo instructed. Gohan nodded determinedly.
Eyes closed in concentration, he slowly began to lift up. He opened his eyes and smiled brightly at his new mentor, "Look, Mr. Piccolo! I did it!" he shouted. Piccolo grunted in acknowledgment.
"I'll try to go higher!" Gohan decided. He focused on his energy, "I guess I just need to push down harder? Alright, let's do it!"
The ground cratered beneath him and he shot uncontrollably into the air. Piccolo shot up after him, "Damn kid!"
Gohan's flight twisted and turned erratically, before finally aiming downwards. He careened, screaming and flailing uselessly, towards the ground. Piccolo followed, trying to predict his movements, but it soon became obvious he wouldn't catch up in time.
Gohan smashed into the top of a grassy plateau at an angle, punching right through, then hitting the ground. Luckily, the collision caused him to stop emitting energy. Piccolo landed next to the crater he was buried in, brushing away the rocks and dirt that covered him. As soon as he saw orange, he grabbed it and pulled him out of the pile of rubble.
Piccolo smirked, "At least we know you're sturdy, right kid?"
Gohan chuckled, wiping away dirt, "A lot sturdier than I used to be!"
"What do you mean?"
Piccolo set him down and he brushed off his gi, noting a few tears with a frown, "When dad started training me, I could barely take a punch. I had to do a whole bunch of exercise to get tougher."
"Strange," Piccolo thought, "He has some kind of hidden power, but he had to train to overcome his body's weakness." He frowned pensively, "Something to meditate on."
"I promise I'll get it right this time, Mr. Piccolo!" Gohan exclaimed, already rising into the air.
Piccolo snorted, "That fall didn't kill you so go ahead and mess up as many times as you want."
In his free time, those moments when he wasn't training or being drilled on combat tactics, Gohan explored. It was much easier now that he could fly and he was determined to find something good to eat. He was tired of fruits and nuts, and Piccolo wasn't sympathetic to his plight at all! He sometimes thought that Piccolo didn't ever eat, but that was silly.
His flight took him over a change in landscape. The ground was caked sand and covered with cracks; the sun harsh and unforgiving. Mountains like piles of tan rock were dispersed sparsely through the area, some of the few objects that provided any shade.
Gohan dropped to the ground, looking around curiously, "This is new. I wonder if anything lives here?" he wondered aloud, shielding his eyes with a hand. He walked around a while until he stumbled into a shallow hole, landing on his face. "Ow!" he cried.
He stood up with a petulant frown. "That wasn't very fun," he complained. He hopped into the air to get a better look at what he fell into. "Huh! It looks kinda like a paw print! But it's way too big. Maybe it's a coincidence?" He flew on slowly, staying close to the ground. He found another hole, similarly shaped. "Once is coincidence, twice is curious, but what if it's three times?" he said, smiling at the prospect of a mystery. "I wonder what could leave such big prints?"
He found a third. "Yeah!" he shouted, pumping a fist in glee. "Three is certain! I bet if I follow the tracks I'll find it!" He set off at high speed, keeping an eye out for more to guide him. Eventually, he heard heavy thudding. His grin grew wide, "It's close!"
Then he found it, "Oh, wow! It's a dinosaur! I've read about them!" he exclaimed happily. It was big and brown with a three-pronged crest on its head and sharp teeth. Its hind legs were large and well muscled while its arms were tiny and held close to its chest. Its tail was long and swung lazily as it walked. Gohan wiped some drool from his chin. "It's been awhile since I've had steak!" he thought, giggling in anticipation.
Then he frowned. "No, wait. I can't just kill it. It never did anything bad to me." He rubbed his face in frustration. The big lizard noticed him, lunging forward to snap his jaws around the boy. Gohan dodged out of the way at the last second, frowning in annoyance. "Hey, you big jerk! That wasn't very nice!" He punctuated his statement by punching its snout. The lizard stumbled back a few steps, tears welling in its large eyes and whining pathetically.
"You see? It's not very nice, is it?" he chastised, hands on his hips. It was the same pose his mother used when she scolded him. The dinosaur turned and stomped away as quickly as it could, understanding that Gohan wasn't easy prey.
"Wait! Come back! Let's be friends!" he hollered, flying after it. The great lizard ran even faster. Gohan gave up, sighing at the loss of both potential friend and potential steak. His eyes were drawn to its tail. It was quite long. His stomach growled. Surely it didn't need the whole tail, right?
Gohan frowned, "I need something sharp. Maybe Piccolo can help?"
A quick trip to see his green mentor proved that he could, indeed, help. Armed with a shiny new sword, Gohan got his steak. It was delicious. Mr. Lizard was a bit angry, but he'd get over it eventually.
It wasn't long before Gohan was in love with his new sword. He carried it with him everywhere, safe in its scabbard across his back. It was sharp, sleek, and double-edged. The reddish-brown hilt was wrapped with cord in a zigzag pattern. The guard looked like polished brass and turned up at the ends. He'd spend hours every day swinging it, getting a feel for its balance. He decided to incorporate it into his fighting style.
"No."
"Why not?!"
"It's just a hunk of metal. I could snap it with a flick of my finger."
"I don't have to use it all the time. I could keep it as a trump card."
"If you carry around a sword, your enemies will expect you to use it. You'll never catch them by surprise."
Gohan clenched his fists angrily, "I bet you're just scared I'll use it against you!" he accused.
Piccolo smirked in amusement, "We'll see. If you can scratch me with that thing, then I'll let you use it."
"You're on!"
Gohan's hand closed around the handle of the sword on his back; Piccolo didn't give him time to draw. Piccolo's fist smashed into his face, but Gohan used his ki to throw himself backward, lessening the impact. Landing upside down on his free hand, he managed to draw the sword and flip himself right-side up.
He launched at Piccolo, swiping and slashing, but he kept swaying out of the blade's arc. Gohan feinted a slash at his midsection but swiped the ground instead, throwing up clumps of dirt and grass. With Piccolo's sight impeded, he stabbed forward, hoping to hit something -since he couldn't see either. He felt the tell-tale sensation of metal slicing flesh, but the blade suddenly stopped, resisting his attempts to pull back.
The debris fell, revealing Piccolo grasping the flat of the blade that had carved a gash in the side of his leg. Gohan exulted, having accomplished his goal, but Piccolo didn't let go. With a cruel sneer, he increased the pressure on the blade, making it creak in protest. Gohan paled, then bared his teeth.
White aura burst out as he exerted all his effort to free his sword from its tormentor. Unfortunately, Piccolo was still considerably stronger than him. Gohan grit his teeth and the aura crept up the length of the blade, finally covering it completely. With a savage grin and a quick jerk to the side, Piccolo found himself without three of his fingers. He seemed unconcerned.
Gohan was very concerned… with his sword. He pulled it close, checking for any hairline cracks that might compromise the integrity of the metal. He sighed in relief when he found none. By the time he was done inspecting it, Piccolo had already regenerated the lost fingers.
"Reinforcing the blade with ki. An interesting technique. Spend the rest of the day refining it. We'll spar again tomorrow morning. I won't go easy on you like this time, got it?"
Gohan stared at him in shock. Then he gave a toothy grin, "Got it, Mr. Piccolo!"
Piccolo flew away. Gohan hopped up and flared his energy, then began slicing at the air with vigor.
Gohan and Piccolo sat around a campfire under a cloudy night sky. It was one of those rare nights where Gohan managed to convince Piccolo not to meditate atop a rocky spire or under a waterfall or in a cave. Piccolo sat in the air, arms and legs crossed and eyes closed. Gohan sat on a rock to his right, munching on an apple. He finished and threw the core into the fire.
"Mr. Piccolo?"
"I'm meditating."
"Well, I know, but I just have a quick question."
Piccolo sighed heavily, cracking an eye open to glare at the boy. "Go ahead and ask, kid. Though, I won't promise an answer."
"Oh! Okay. I've just been wondering…"
"Get to the point!"
"What if we're not strong enough!"
Piccolo's eyes opened, regarding Gohan with astonishment. The corner of his mouth twisted upwards into a wry smile, "Then we die. Along with everyone else."
Gohan paled. "I don't want that to happen," he said, frowning in frustration. He shook his head, then looked up at Piccolo, new determination in his eyes, "I think we should make a plan. A way to defeat them even if they are stronger than us."
"Oh? And what is this plan of yours?"
Gohan blushed, scratching his cheek, "Uh, well, I haven't actually… thought of one. I just think we should have one."
Piccolo shook his head, "We hardly know anything about our enemies. There's not enough information to create a reliable plan of action."
"Couldn't we ambush them? Like a surprise attack! They can't actually sense energy, right? That's why Raditz wore the scouter thing."
Piccolo frowned thoughtfully, "You may have a point." He placed a hand on his chin. "Maybe if we…"
They spent the rest of the night bouncing ideas around. They couldn't make an iron-clad plan, instead coming up with a number of likely scenarios and ways to handle them.
If Kami was surprised to be contacted by his counterpart he surely didn't show it. A few days after their impromptu planning session, Gohan and Piccolo had determined a course of action that was almost certain to be effective, provided they could maintain an element of surprise. Gohan thought it would be best if the others were aware of the plan and managed to convince Piccolo. He found that Piccolo was becoming progressively more agreeable, despite his surly manner. It didn't even take an hour for Piccolo to admit the merit of his suggestion.
So, they found themselves on the lookout with the company of Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu, Kami, and Mr. Popo. Kami stepped forward, gnarled staff clicking against white tiles. He cleared his throat, "What brings you here, my old friend?"
Piccolo snarled. "Certainly not a personal call." He gained control of his disgust. "I've come to… inform you about the plan for defeating the Saiyans."
"Alright! Music to my ears!" Krillin shouted. Piccolo and Tien glared at him. He waved his hands frantically, "Uh, I just… I get worried sometimes. It's a relief to know there's a plan."
Yamcha slapped his back, "Got that right, man!"
Krillin grinned at the support.
Kami coughed loudly, then addressed Piccolo, "I need not say that any plan requiring the sacrifice of an ally's life is unacceptable, correct?"
Piccolo grunted noncommittally, then motioned at Gohan. The boy in question was slightly startled but did as implicitly asked.
"Uh, well… it's actually pretty simple. While you guys distract the Saiyans, I'll hide and charge up a special beam cannon and try to hit both of them with it. I think that if you all work together, you could pin them down so I don't miss."
They stared at him in shock. Krillin stepped forward, concern etched on his face, "Sorry to say, but I don't think they'll let you charge up an attack like that. What is the special beam cannon, anyway? I've never heard of it."
Piccolo smirked, "The attack that pierced right through two of the strongest combatants you've ever seen."
Krillin and Yamcha began to sweat. All three of Tien's eyes narrowed, "So that's the attack you killed Goku with." It wasn't a question. Gohan grimaced, scuffing a boot against the tile floor and avoiding eye contact with anyone.
He stared Piccolo down. "It's your technique; why is Gohan the one using it?"
Piccolo snorted. "Because they won't expect it. Kids are always underestimated. This way, even if they notice him, they'll likely consider him a non-threat. That will give him the opening we need."
Tien's gaze shifted to Gohan, then back to Piccolo, "You honestly intend to teach him the technique that killed his own father?"
Gohan stiffened slightly. Krillin elbowed Tien lightly, coughing the word 'tact' into his hand. Tien didn't seem very concerned.
Piccolo raised a brow, "You have a problem with that?"
"Does he?" Tien asked, looking at Gohan once more.
"I- I'm okay with it. If it can help defeat the Saiyans," Gohan said, looking pointedly at the ground.
Yamcha kneeled in front of him, "You don't have to do this if you don't want to. Just leave all this fighting stuff to the adults, alright?"
"Yeah, Yamcha's right!" Krillin agreed.
"No!" Piccolo shouted, glaring at the two. Yamcha jumped backward and fell on his butt, scooting further backward.
"Y'know, you're right Piccolo! Fighting's not so bad! I mean, sometimes it's even fun!"
Krillin stood his ground, despite his trembling legs, "He's just a kid! If he fights, he'll get hurt! How can I ever face Goku -or Chichi- knowing I let that happen!"
Piccolo glared at him. As if saying 'I don't give a damn about that!'. Then he said, "I don't give a damn about that!"
Gohan moved in front of Krillin, effectively shielding him from Piccolo. "There's no reason to argue about this. I'm going to fight, because I know I can make a difference. I'll gladly learn any technique if it will prevent others from suffering." He paused, then bowed politely, "Thank you for being concerned, though. I appreciate it."
Krillin blushed, rubbing his head, "Hey! No problem, buddy!"
There was silence for a moment, then Chiaotzu raised his hand. "I can hold one in place with my telekinesis. Though, probably only for a few seconds," he said. That sparked a brainstorming session on ways to improve the plan while making use of each fighter's' unique abilities.
A/N: Chapter two is already done, but I want to build up a buffer, so I won't release it until I finish chapter four. That way I'll have time to set each chapter down for at least a few days and then look over it with fresh eyes. Not quite as good as writing the whole thing out beforehand, but I just don't have the patience for that.
